Monthly Archives: February 2015

More bumptious poppycock fellow travelers from the meat and soda lobby groups decrying the new nutrition guidelines recently issued by the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. These lobby groups are on a fool’s errand. Even a half informed fellow traveler would look askance at these lobby groups feeble retorts. But then again these lobby groups are pandering to the large population of gullible Booboisie helter-skelter.

Paleo diet is a step beyond the food guidelines. The Paleo diet is certainly nothing new to informed travelers curious though how the Paleo diet is akin to the new Atkins diet. So once again, we confront the latest trend in diets aimed at health and the shedding of pounds. We can go round and round on the merry go round of diets but the Captain and others believe what counts in the final analysis are protein, calories, and EXERCISE. The Captain knows how futile an endeavor it is to try diet alone. One must literally starve oneself to shed pounds without exercise. It takes 90 minutes of moderately strenuous treadmill exercise to lose 1,335 calories. Therefore, this is just an example of how much exercise you need to lose any substantial amount of calories and which translates into pounds.

Finally, there is an excellent article from CNN on the dietary guidelines change and cholesterol. The Captain has been on statins and triglyceride medication for many years and would be loath to go off these medications. As the cross section below shows,

this is what high cholesterol and triglycerides can do to the arterial wall forming plaque. The Captain had an angiogram in his 30’s and was clear but what now 30 years later. Captain will play it safe and stay on the medications just in case or until the next angiogram.

Lobbyists for the US meat and soda industries are rallying the troops after a government committee on healthy eating has recommended that Americans consume less red meat and sugary drinks, and more fruit and vegetables. The 571-page report published by the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) was dismissed as “flawed” and “nonsensical” by representatives of the meat industry. Soda makers joined in the criticism, saying the panel of experts had gone “beyond its scope” and that high intensity sweeteners criticized by the panel “can be an effective tool in weight loss.”

Although the report has no legal powers, it’s very likely that the government will implement its advice. This will inform new public health campaigns and set federal policy for things like school lunches, which is a program worth $16 billion annually. The report also recommends for the first time ever that Americans consider the sustainability of their food. As with the advice for healthy eating, this means simply eating less meat and more vegetables and plants.

THE ADVICE IS STRAIGHTFORWARD AND FAMILIAR

Even those of us that love a burger and Coke will recognize the DGAC’s advice is hardly radical. “A healthy dietary pattern is higher in vegetables, whole grains, low- or non-fat dairy, seafood, legumes, and nuts,” says the report, “[It’s] moderate in alcohol (among adults); lower in red and processed meats; and low in sugar-sweetened foods and drinks and refined grains.” Surprisingly, however, the report did repeal decades-old advice that individuals limit their intake of cholesterol, noting that there was no clear link between foods high in the nutrient (e.g. eggs and seafood) and health problems.

COFFEE, THANKFULLY, GETS A THUMBS-UP

Thankfully, for the caffeine-addicted among us, the report gives the thumbs-up to moderate coffee consumption, noting that drinking three to five cups of coffee a day “is not associated with increased long-term health risks.” However, the panel added that Americans tended to underestimate their coffee consumption and that three to five cups a day was equal to only two or three servings from Starbucks.

They also highlighted the dangers of energy drinks with high caffeine content, saying that children and adolescents should drink them sparingly, or better still, not at all. Adults should also avoid consuming energy drinks and alcohol together — whether “mixed together or consumed at the same sitting.” This means popular drinks like Red Bull and vodka should be off the cards for those trying to stay healthy. The panel also mooted the idea of a tax on sugary drinks and foods.

As well as recommending that Americans consider the sustainability of their diet, the report highlights the meat industry as a particular environmental concern. “Current evidence shows that the average U.S. diet has a larger environmental impact in terms of increased greenhouse gas emissions, land use, water use and energy use,” said the report. “This is because the current U.S. population intake of animal-based foods is higher and plant-based foods are lower.”

BEEF USES 28 TIMES MORE LAND THAN PORK OR POULTRY

The meat industry described the panel’s “foray into the murky waters of sustainability” as “well beyond its scope and expertise,” and pointed out that although the carbon footprint of meat was higher than plants, the two do not deliver an equal amount of nutrients. This is true, of course, but the ratio of environmental impact to nutritional output is not something that can be easily measured. Even among livestock there is much variation. Beef, for example, needs 28 times more land and 11 times more irrigation water than pork and poultry.

Although the government is free to ignore the DGAC’s advice, the chances are it won’t, said former member Marion Nestle, a professor of nutrition at New York University. Nestle describes the 2015 report as a “dramatic departure” for the panel, which has previously recommended eating meat as a way to reduce saturated fat intake. “The one thing the Dietary Guidelines have never been allowed to do is say clearly and explicitly to eat less of anything,” Nestle told Politico. “This committee is not burying anything, or obfuscating …They’re just telling it like it is.”

Eat like a caveman. That’s the thrust of the trendy Paleo style of eating.

At its core, the Paleo diet is devoid of all processed foods, refined sugars and dairy. In theory, it is supposed to mirror the way Stone Age hunter-gathers ate. The diet has been around for a while, but has gained popularity over the last several years. And it doesn’t seem to be headed for extinction anytime soon.

Nate Furlong of New Hudson has been following a Paleo diet for three years. Furlong, 29, a clinical exercise physiologist, discovered the Paleo way of eating while working in a cardiologist office. (He’s also a personal trainer and Paleo nutrition expert, owns Well Fit Life in Novi and co-owner of Train Better Personal Trainers.)

“I was … helping clients with some nutrition recommendations according to normal USDA standards: low fat, kind of low protein and higher in carbohydrates,” Furlong said. “I saw them lose some weight, but not get off meds, so I started searching other options and Paleo was talked about favorably.”

The Paleo diet promotes eating lean meats and fish along with lots of fruits and non-starchy vegetables, nuts and seeds. What’s out? Most grains and legumes.

Nate Furlong of New Hudson has been following a Paleo diet for three years. Furlong, 29, a clinical exercise physiologist, discovered the Paleo way of eating while working in a cardiologist office. (Photo: Nate Furlong)

We caught up with Furlong recently at the Better Health Store in Novi, where he often conducts Paleo diet grocery tours as well as seminars. Here’s a bit of what he had to say about eating and shopping the Paleo way:

QUESTION: What made you convert to the Paleo way of eating?

ANSWER: What struck me was that by reducing some processed food, people had better cholesterol levels — ultimately, it helped people more. I’ve seen some clients get off meds. And that’s what gave me a kick.

A: It usually takes people a couple of tries. You start by cutting out things like pop and things that have added sugar and cutting back on the some of the gluten, dairy until you … minimize it. At the same time, I try to get them to eat more protein with each meal.

Q: What does a Paleo diet look in pyramid form?

A: Meat is on bottom along with veggies. The next level is non-starchy vegetables and fruits. … The next rung is seeds and nuts. But the balancer here, in regular Paleo nutrition, is that while meat is in the bottom so is unlimited non-starchy veggies.

Q: Beef play a huge role, as does poultry and fish. What do you recommend?

A: Really you are what you eat, and your food is what your food has been eating. For that reason, it’s important that you choose … from grass-fed and free-range sources. My personal favorite is a grass-fed porterhouse steak. With fish, it’s salmon because of the taste … and it’s really high in omega-3s.

Q: Nuts and seeds are a core Paleo concept. Which ones are best and how do they help?

A: I recommend one to two handfuls a day, rotating the variety you eat. I use PAW as the acronym … pecans, almonds and walnuts. Nuts and seeds satiate you and help when you start having a craving for something crunchy and salty.

Q: Why are beans (legumes) and grains not part of a Paleo diet?

A. Beans and legumes are a hot spot because they are considered anti-nutrients. (An anti-nutrient is a compound that interferes with the absorption of nutrients.) For example, kidney beans can cause inflammation and they are the highest in anti-nutrients. Some people who are 100% Paleo would say get rid of any food that has anti-nutrients. Grains are eliminated, too, because of the amount of anti-nutrient content. … But I am a fan of sprouting grains and there are sprouted breads like Eziekil and there is Paleo bread made with coconut flour.

Q: What fruits and vegetables are recommended?

A: It depends on your overall goal. We shoot toward thin skin fruits like berries. Most people who want to lose weight stay there. Athletes need to eat more thick-skin fruits like bananas and oranges.

A: Not really. Most of the foods that aren’t Paleo should actually just be eaten for special occasions or celebrations — and that’s when I eat mine. I LOVE pizza, and I’ll have a few slices once every month or so. … Life is too short to say “no” to foods you love. We should just say “no” more often.

You may need to buy 2 jicamas. They should be close to the size of your mandoline, if using one. I was able to slice the jicamas thinly, carefully using a knife. Cut any leftover pieces of jicama into matchstick-size pieces and add them as a topping.

TACOS

1 to 2 jicamas

1 pound ground beef or turkey

Seasoning mixture

2 cups lettuce, loosely packed

1 cup guacamole

1/4 red onion, julienned

Favorite salsa

Cilantro and lime wedges for garnish

SEASONING MIXTURE

2 tablespoons chili powder

11/2 tablespoons cumin

11/2 tablespoons paprika

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon garlic powder

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Peel jicamas and slice as thinly as possible using a mandoline or a sharp knife. Soak jicama slices in warm water for about 10 to 15 minutes prior to serving. The slices will not become completely pliable like a soft corn tortilla, but enough to pick up and fold slightly.

In a large skillet, place the ground beef or turkey and cook on medium heat until no longer pink. Sprinkle with all the seasonings and stir until evenly distributed.

Pat jicama slices dry, and top with lettuce, meat, guacamole, onion and salsa.

Garnish with cilantro and lime wedges, and serve.

Adapated from “The Food Lovers Make it Paleo: Over 200 Recipes For Any Occasion” by Bill Staley and Hayley Mason (Victory Belt Publishing, $34.95).

Every five years, the Department of Health and Human Services, along with the Department of Agriculture, issues “Dietary Guidelines for Americans,” a federal publication that has far-reaching implications on what we eat. The guidelines affect everything from the way companies can advertise their products, to what’s in your child’s school lunch, to the diet advice offered up by nearly every doctor and nutritionist in the country.

Remember the food pyramid from when you were growing up? Today’s iteration, MyPlate, relies on these guidelines as well. They’re also the basis for the information on nutrition facts labels on just about all food packaging.

So you can see why so many people are anxiously awaiting the 2015 update.

The 112-page report from 2010 included 23 recommendations for the general population and six additional recommendations for specific population groups, such as pregnant women. The three major goals emphasized were:

• Balance calories with physical activity to manage weight.

• Consume more of certain foods and nutrients such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fat-free and low-fat dairy products and seafood.

“Cholesterol is not considered a nutrient of concern for overconsumption.”

Inside the advisory report

Sure enough, there it is, buried on page 91 of the 572-page Scientific Report of the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee: “Previously, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommended that cholesterol intake be limited to no more than 300 mg/day. The 2015 DGAC will not bring forward this recommendation because available evidence shows no appreciable relationship between consumption of dietary cholesterol and serum (blood) cholesterol, consistent with the AHA/ACC (American Heart Association / American College of Cardiology) report. Cholesterol is not a nutrient of concern for overconsumption.”

What has foodies buzzing is that this is somewhat of a tectonic shift regarding one of the main nutritional designations of the foods we eat. Cholesterol has been a prominent part of dietary warnings and guidelines since the American Heart Association put the compound in its crosshairs more than half a century ago.

Dr. Steven Nissen, chairman of cardiovascular medicine at the Cleveland Clinic, told CNN: “The idea we need to limit saturated fat and cholesterol shifted Americans from a well-balanced diet to high-sugar diets, which made people eat more and get fatter.”

The reality, according to Nissen, is that only 15% of circulating cholesterol in the blood comes from what you eat. The other 85% comes from the liver. “So if you go on a diet,” he says, “you’re not changing your cholesterol very much.” Still, nutritionists are not recommending you go out and binge on cheeseburgers and fries.

A lot is riding on this decision. Foods that are high in cholesterol, like eggs, shrimp and lobster, could see a major uptick in sales. These foods, perhaps limited inside — or banished from — your home, could make a big comeback.

Who’s telling you what to eat

The 14 outside experts who made up the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee are nationally recognized in the fields of nutrition, medicine and public health.

In a letter to the HHS and USDA secretaries, 2015 DGAC chairwoman Barbara Millen highlights the major diet-related health problems she says we’re facing and must reverse.

“About half of all American adults — 117 million individuals — have one or more preventable (emphasis hers) chronic diseases that relate to poor quality dietary patterns and physical inactivity, including cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and diet-related cancers,” Millen writes.

“More than two-thirds of adults and nearly one-third of children and youth are overweight or obese. These devastating health problems have persisted for decades, strained U.S. health care costs, and focused the attention of our health care system on disease treatment rather than prevention. They call for bold action and sound, innovative solutions.”

Millen hopes the report will “establish a ‘culture of health’ at individual and population levels and, in so doing, make healthy lifestyle choices easy, accessible, affordable and normative — both at home and away from home.”

“Dramatic paradigm shifts are needed to help individuals and families take more active roles in their personal health and to incentivize health care and public health services, programs, and research to focus more on prevention and personal diet and lifestyle management.”

What’s wrong with the American diet

The report identifies underconsumed “shortfall nutrients,” including vitamins A, D, E and C, as well as folate, calcium, magnesium, potassium and fiber.

For adolescent and premenopausal females, iron is also considered a shortfall nutrient.

The DGAC singles out two nutrients which are overconsumed: sodium and saturated fat.

No surprise, that’s the result of eating too many refined grains, solid fats and added sugars.

The committee was cautiously optimistic about one age group: Young children (ages 2-5) are the only ones consuming the recommended amount of fruit and dairy, so perhaps there’s hope for the future. The report urges a better understanding of how to maintain and encourage good eating habits that are started early in life.

What you should be eating

It’s not just what we eat, it’s how we eat it. When looking into the common characteristics of healthy diets, the committee focused on research examining dietary patterns, because “the totality of the diet — the combinations and quantities in which foods and nutrients are consumed — may have synergistic and cumulative effects on health and disease.”

A healthy dietary pattern is higher in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, low- or nonfat dairy, seafood, legumes and nuts; moderate in alcohol; lower in red and processed meat; and low in sugar-sweetened foods and drinks and refined grains.

The DGAC encourages dietary patterns that are low in saturated fat, added sugars and sodium. The goals for the general population are:

• Less than 2,300 milligrams of dietary sodium per day.

• Less than 10% of total calories from saturated fat per day.

• A maximum of 10% of total calories from added sugars per day.

“Sodium, saturated fat, and added sugars are not intended to be reduced in isolation, but as part of a healthy dietary pattern that is balanced, as appropriate, in calories,” the report states. “Rather than focusing purely on reduction, emphasis should also be placed on replacement and shifts in food intake and eating patterns.”

“Sources of saturated fat should be replaced with unsaturated fat, particularly polyunsaturated fatty acids. Similarly, added sugars should be reduced in the diet and not replaced with low-calorie sweeteners, but rather with healthy options such as water in place of sugar-sweetened beverages. For sodium, emphasis should be placed on expanding industry efforts to reduce the sodium content of foods and helping consumers understand how to flavor unsalted foods with spices and herbs.”

What’s next?

“For decades, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans have been at the core of our efforts to promote the health and well-being of American families,” said HHS Secretary Sylvia Burwell and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack in a joint statement. “Now that the advisory committee has completed its recommendations, HHS and USDA will review this advisory report, along with comments from the public — including other experts — and input from other federal agencies as we begin the process of updating the guidelines.”

If you have been reading the newspaper recently, you will have come across some startling new nutrition advice. A much hyped new study, conducted with just 150 participants, calls for us to “embrace fat”—even the saturated kind. The alleged benefits? Weight loss and, most incredibly, healthier hearts.

Unfortunately, this media attention is much ado about nothing.

Low-carb diets have been advocated by various “experts” for at least 225 years. Many sources credit John Rollo with being the first to promote a low carbohydrate diet for diabetics in the late 1700s. In the 1860s, an English undertaker by the name of Banting published his famous “Letter on Corpulence, Addressed to the Public.” His diet, which advocated giving up several starchy foods, was so popular that for decades dieting was actually called “Banting.”

James Salisbury, the 19th century American physician and food faddist, promoted the steak he named for himself as part of a high-meat diet in 1888. Since then, the number of promoters for this dietary approach has been endless. I recall my mother eating cottage cheese in order to lose weight when I was growing up in the 60s, because of diet books written by doctors with nothing but theory to back them up. Probably the most famous of all is Robert Atkins, whose book Dr. Atkins Diet Revolution, published in the mid 1960s, is still a bestseller.

In the two centuries during which these diets have been promoted, there have been hundreds of studies comparing low-carb to low-fat diets. One would think that by now it would be clear which was superior if there really was a difference. But if you take all of these diet studies, and analyze the enormous body of data they produced, there is no proven difference between them as far as weight loss is concerned. In fact, another such analysis was published the day after the over-hyped low-carb study with this same conclusion.

More to the point, however, is that this most recent study really did not actually prove that low-carb diets are superior. The low-fat diet in the study was not that low in fat, and the low-carb group ate significantly fewercalories. If anything, the study only confirms that fewer calories result in more weight loss.

Moreover, the study provided intensive dietary counseling, not available to most people, and only followed participants for a year. Everyone who knows anything about weight loss knows that as soon as a diet ends, the pounds go right back on. Indeed, studies show that only 15 to 25 percent of those who lose weight are then able to keep it off.

I honestly have no opinion as to whether altering the fat or carbs in your diet is the best way to lose weight, and I am considered an expert in nutrition. Of course, it is possible that this current study may, in fact, herald the breakthrough that we’ve all been waiting for. But there would need to be many more studies to confirm these findings before we lay to rest this centuries-long debate.

PHOTO: A customer chooses meat at a meat market in Beijing May 31, 2013, in this file photo. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

Dear Hail-Fellows well met, “The Fat Bastard Gazette” is written and edited by your favorite curmudgeons Captain Hank Quinlan and

Flatfoot Willie, Correspondent at Large with fellow Staff Writers

Staff (monkeys in the back room). We offer an ongoing tirade to support or offend anyone of any large dimension, cultural background, religious affiliation, or color of skin. This gazette rails against an eclectic mix of circus ring ne’er do wells, big ring fatty and fatso whiners, congenital idiots, the usual motley assortment of the profoundly dumbfounded, and a favorite of intelligent men everywhere, the

May the Most Venerable H. L. Mencken bless our unworthy but earnest attempts at tongue in cheek jocularity .

All this and more always keeping our major focus on “Why so fat?” Enough said? We at “The Fat Bastard Gazette” think so. If you like what you read, and you know whom you are, in this yellow blog, tell your friends. We would be elated with an ever-wider readership. We remain cordially yours, Captain Hank Quinlan and the Monkeys in the back room

“The Fat Bastard Gazette” does not purport to offer any definitive medical or pharmaceutical advice whatsoever in any explicit or implied manner. Always consult a qualified physician in all medical or pharmaceutical matters. “The Fat Bastard Gazette” is only the opinion of informed nonprofessionals for the general edification and entertainment of the greater public.

No similarities to any existing names or characters are expressed or implied. We reserve the right to offend or support anybody, anything, or any sacred totem across the globe.

Do not put too much emphasis on “biologically defended” obesity my fat little friends. The fact remains there are still no excuses for getting or being grossly fat and sloppy. Since most of you are going to the Dr. anyway for diseases secondary to your excessive blubber, why not discuss with the doctor ways in which you can effectively lose the weight. The Captain’s view has been stated before; surgery, exercise, and diet are the way to go. If one cannot afford the surgery then medication, exercise, and diet is a less desirable alternative. Lastly, the least desirable alternative is a draconian diet and strenuous exercise. By the way, Medicare covers bariatric surgery or Medicare for those of you who cannot afford medical insurance so there is no excuse for financial duress in seeking an effective way to lose weight.

Obesity is a chronic, treatment-resistant disease with biological and behavioral causes – Expert

There is a high chance you ultimately know very little about obesity and related overweight conditions. To this end, some people believe obesity is never a disease but a condition that causes other diseases; and more so, others yet believe that it can only be treated with medications, still, some others totally disagree about using medications only to treat obesity. And some say, lifestyle changes are all that are required to deal with biological obesity.

Hear what Dr. Christopher Ochner of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, has to say:

“Although lifestyle modifications may result in lasting weight loss in overweight individuals, in those with chronic obesity body weight seems to become biologically defended,” Dr. Ochner said, and then continued: “Therefore, the current advice to eat less and exercise more may be no more effective for most obese individuals than a recommendation to avoid sharp objects for someone bleeding profusely.”

But the medical expert is not done yet: “Few individuals ever truly recover from obesity; rather they suffer from ‘obesity in remission’. They are biologically very different from individuals of the same age, sex, and body weight who never had obesity.”

He said that “Many clinicians are not aware of the reasons individuals with obesity struggle to achieve and maintain weight loss. Obesity should be recognized as a chronic and often treatment-resistant disease with both biological and behavioral causes that require a range of medical interventions including biologically based interventions such as pharmacotherapy or surgery as well as lifestyle modification.”

According to him, “Ignoring these biological factors and continuing to rely on behavioral modification will surely result in the continued inability to treat obesity effectively and the premature death of millions of individuals each year.”

And then finally, Dr Ochner says: “Obesity should be recognized as a chronic and often treatment-resistant disease with both biological and behavioral causes.”

Dear Hail-Fellows well met, “The Fat Bastard Gazette” is written and edited by your favorite curmudgeons Captain Hank Quinlan and

Flatfoot Willie, Correspondent at Large with fellow Staff Writers

Staff (monkeys in the back room). We offer an ongoing tirade to support or offend anyone of any large dimension, cultural background, religious affiliation, or color of skin. This gazette rails against an eclectic mix of circus ring ne’er do wells, big ring fatty and fatso whiners, congenital idiots, the usual motley assortment of the profoundly dumbfounded, and a favorite of intelligent men everywhere, the

May the Most Venerable H. L. Mencken bless our unworthy but earnest attempts at tongue in cheek jocularity .

All this and more always keeping our major focus on “Why so fat?” Enough said? We at “The Fat Bastard Gazette” think so. If you like what you read, and you know whom you are, in this yellow blog, tell your friends. We would be elated with an ever-wider readership. We remain cordially yours, Captain Hank Quinlan and the Monkeys in the back room

“The Fat Bastard Gazette” does not purport to offer any definitive medical or pharmaceutical advice whatsoever in any explicit or implied manner. Always consult a qualified physician in all medical or pharmaceutical matters. “The Fat Bastard Gazette” is only the opinion of informed nonprofessionals for the general edification and entertainment of the greater public.

No similarities to any existing names or characters are expressed or implied. We reserve the right to offend or support anybody, anything, or any sacred totem across the globe.

And so, we have the latest bill of goods diet/ ADHD pill, Vyvanse, on the market approved by the FDA. It seems to the Captain that Vyvanse is nothing more than a variation on the old amphetamine diet pills and methylphenidate ADHD pills with a much heftier price tag. Vyvanse has all the side effects of all the other amphetamines on the market and the captain bets that Vyvanse is no better or no worse than generic Ritalin (methylphenidate). These two chemical compounds are appetite suppressants, hence weight-loss: it really does not matter what overeating problem you have. What is not stated in the literature is the very insidious fact that you can get used to the effect of these pills as appetite suppressants and over eat anyway. You then experience all the side effects with none of the benefits. Especially deleterious to obese people are a tachycardia heart rate (heart rate above 90) and exacerbation of high blood pressure. It can also be stated that the weight gain normally experienced from over eating can be masked by the drug’s effect of increasing the metabolism rate. The rebound effects from going off the drug are immense, weight gain is increased at an accelerated rate, while the tachycardia and high blood pressure continue long after that drug use discontinued; sometimes necessitating the need for other drugs to compensate for these problems.

What then is the take away from all this? It appears that diets and exercise remain the best alternative to being overweight. Although studies have shown, and this is stated in an earlier edition of “The Fat Bastard Gazette” Bariatric Edition, over a long period of time weight gain is resumed at an increased rate. The answer appears then, at least for all obese people with a body mass index of 39 or greater, too seriously considered gastric surgery as a means to a permanent solution.

WARNING

ABUSE AND DEPENDENCE

CNS stimulants (amphetamines and methylphenidate-containing products), including VYVANSE, have a high potential for abuse and dependence. Assess the risk of abuse prior to prescribing and monitor for signs of abuse and dependence while on therapy.

Table 3 : Adverse Reactions Reported by 2% or More of Adult Patients with ADHD Taking VYVANSE and at least Twice the Incidence in Patients Taking Placebo in a 4-Week Clinical Trial (Study 7)

VYVANSE
(N=358)

PLACEBO
(N=62)

Decreased Appetite

27%

2%

Insomnia

27%

8%

Dry Mouth

26%

3%

Diarrhea

7%

0%

Nausea

7%

0%

Anxiety

6%

0%

Anorexia

5%

0%

Feeling Jittery

4%

0%

Agitation

3%

0%

Increased Blood Pressure

3%

0%

Hyperhidrosis

3%

0%

Restlessness

3%

0%

Decreased Weight

3%

0%

Dyspnea

2%

0%

Increased Heart Rate

2%

0%

Tremor

2%

0%

In addition, in the adult population erectile dysfunction was observed in 2.6% of males on VYVANSE and 0% on placebo; decreased libidowas observed in 1.4% of subjects on VYVANSE and 0% on placebo.

ADHD Drug Vyvanse may Treat Binge-Eating Disorder

Submitted by Diana Bretting on Thu, 01/15/2015 – 12:26

A new research stated that drug Vyvanse meant to treat attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) might also help in treating binge-eating disorders.

The researchers said that when the drug is given at a higher dose then it can curtail excessive food consumption. The drug Vyvanse is the only approved drug in America to treat ADHD. It shall also be noted that for now, no drug has been approved for treating binge-eating disorder.

Also, it is now only that binge-eating has been classified as a disorder by the psychiatric community. Binge-eating disorder is generally associated with obese people. Main factors include food craving, repeated episodes of excessive food consumption, feeling of loss of control and psychological distress.

One of the study researchers, Dr. James Mitchell, President of the Neuropsychiatric Research Institute in Fargo said, “Presently, epilepsy drugs are commonly used to treat this disorder, and they actually do help the people to eat healthy and lose weight”.

But they also have side-effects that affect cognitive impairment and make it difficult for patients to cope from these medicines. In the 14-week long study, it has been found that the drug Vyvanse was quite effective in treating binge eating disorder and was also tolerated by most of the patients.

The trial was carried out on more than 500 adults having moderate to severe binge-eating disorder. In the trial, the researchers compared the ADHD drug lisdexamfetamine with a placebo from May 2011 to January 2012.

Study’s lead researcher Dr. Susan McElroy said that dosages were of 30, 50 or 70 mg/day or a placebo. It was found that a decline came in the number of binge-eating days per week in the groups taking 50mg and 70 mg doses daily in comparison to the placebo group. The study findings need to be replicated in larger groups of people with binge-eating disorder.

Dear Hail-Fellows well met, “The Fat Bastard Gazette” is written and edited by your favorite curmudgeons Captain Hank Quinlan and

Flatfoot Willie, Correspondent at Large with fellow Staff Writers

Staff (monkeys in the back room). We offer an ongoing tirade to support or offend anyone of any large dimension, cultural background, religious affiliation, or color of skin. This gazette rails against an eclectic mix of circus ring ne’er do wells, big ring fatty and fatso whiners, congenital idiots, the usual motley assortment of the profoundly dumbfounded, and a favorite of intelligent men everywhere, the

May the Most Venerable H. L. Mencken bless our unworthy but earnest attempts at tongue in cheek jocularity .

All this and more always keeping our major focus on “Why so fat?” Enough said? We at “The Fat Bastard Gazette” think so. If you like what you read, and you know whom you are, in this yellow blog, tell your friends. We would be elated with an ever-wider readership. We remain cordially yours, Captain Hank Quinlan and the Monkeys in the back room

“The Fat Bastard Gazette” does not purport to offer any definitive medical or pharmaceutical advice whatsoever in any explicit or implied manner. Always consult a qualified physician in all medical or pharmaceutical matters. “The Fat Bastard Gazette” is only the opinion of informed nonprofessionals for the general edification and entertainment of the greater public.

No similarities to any existing names or characters are expressed or implied. We reserve the right to offend or support anybody, anything, or any sacred totem across the globe.